Jul.24 (GMM) Max Verstappen may be back in World Championship contention – mere weeks after Red Bull insiders declared his title hopes over.
With McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris sitting 69 and 61 points ahead of Verstappen respectively, Helmut Marko had previously sounded resigned. But ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, the veteran advisor struck a different tone in Speed Week.
“We still have 12 Grands Prix and four sprints ahead of us, which equates to 300 World Championship points from the GPs and 32 from the sprint races,” he said.
“Against this backdrop, and also due to further improvements for Belgium, which should bring us closer to McLaren, we certainly don’t see the fight for the World Championship as over.”
Ralf Schumacher, speaking on Sky Deutschland’s Backstage Boxengasse, believes Red Bull’s new leadership under Laurent Mekies has transformed the team atmosphere – and possibly Verstappen’s future.
“Mekies is an incredible guy. Verstappen and he have known each other from the ground up. They trust each other,” said Schumacher. “Mekies will bring the team together again. Everyone will pull together and give it their all.”
The former F1 driver suggested that Christian Horner’s departure may have resolved the internal tensions that had driven Verstappen to consider a Mercedes switch.
“The poorly functioning car, the internal problems, and the bad mood in the team are what led Verstappen to consider a change,” he said. “But now with Mekies, everything is actually very open again.
“I actually believe at the moment – and last week it looked completely different – that Verstappen will stay at Red Bull.”
Verstappen met Mercedes boss Toto Wolff during a recent Sardinian holiday, but Wolff has since signalled a preference for continuing with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for 2026.
As for Spa and Hungary, Marko says new upgrades, including a new front wing, are coming.
At Silverstone, Verstappen used a slim rear wing to great effect in qualifying, taking pole in the dry – though the setup left him vulnerable when rain hit on race day.
Marko suggested a similar approach could return for Spa, where low-drag efficiency and unpredictable weather often collide. De Telegraaf claims the major new component this weekend is a front wing.
“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit should suit our car better, especially given the normally very changeable weather conditions,” said Marko.
“Hungary is likely to be a little trickier.”
As for Verstappen, he ended his Sardinia holiday with time at Milton-Keynes.
“I was back at the factory last week to spend some time in the sim with the team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Laurent.”
“Spa is a classic and always my favourite track on the calendar a very old school circuit where you have to do everything right.”
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